Tag: sun goddess

Sekhmet, lioness goddess of Ancient Egypt, is the powerful precursor to the more docile, fun-loving Bastet. She’s known as the Lady of Terror, Mistress Dread, and Lady of Flame. Yes, she’s fierce and a goddess of war. But she also has a protective, healing side that many sources don’t tap into. Like a lioness, Sekhmet watches over her pride, and will hunt and defend as the need arises. Sekhmet, the Bloodthirsty, could be both a loving mother and a ruthless foe. 

She is an ancient Egyptian goddess of war, healing, the sun, and plagues. She was also the patron deity of physicians and healers, and could at one time spread disease and cure it. Equally feared and worshiped, the lioness Sekhmet was without a doubt one of the most prominent goddesses in the Egyptian pantheon.

Sekhmet is an ancient Egyptian goddess of healing, protection and war. With the fierce powers of both a lioness and a cobra, she is seen as a powerful protector to those working in witchcraft. Let’s Learn about Sekhmet, Goddess of War and Healing and how to work with her energy in your spiritual practice and daily life.

Who is Sekhmet, the Lioness Goddess of Egypt?

Sekhmet is an ancient Egyptian goddess of war whose belief and worship was born in Lower Egypt. Next to Bastet, Sekhmet is the most important and influential of leonine goddesses in the Egyptian pantheon. Some believe that the Ancient Egyptian goddess Sekhmet was actually the goddess Hathor, which transformed herself due to the power of the Eye of Ra.. In some mythology, She is the daughter of Ra; in others, She is the daughter of Nut, the Sky, and Geb, the Earth.

She’s known as the Eye of Ra, one of his formidable daughters, of whom he employed to punish humanity when he got sick of us. (I’ll go over the myth in more detail later.) She nearly destroyed the entire human species with her wrath and fiery breath. Sekhmet is frequently portrayed as the embodiment of the Eye of Ra, meaning she was a personified enactor of Ra’s vengeance and a destroyer of his enemies. Sekhmet is a lioness, but she is also a representation of the blazing, hot desert sun. Her name likely means “strong”, “powerful”, “violent” or “mighty”.

Some sources see Sekhmet as a manifestation of the powerful creator god Ra. Her fiery breath not only destroys, but it creates. Many scholars claim from stories that her “hot breath created the desert”. In addition to using her fiery breath to destroy, she also has the power to call on plagues for further death and destruction. Sekhmet is a known healer, therefore granting life on the other side of death and decay. We see a sacred polarity with Sekhmet, as she indeed has a softer side and grants healing to those she deems worthy. In fact, at one point, Sekhmet’s physicians were the most well-known and beloved.

What is Sekhmet Goddess of?

Sekhmet is first and foremost a goddess of war and destruction. She is the Eye of Ra, and he called on her to exact his revenge and wrath in the old myths. It’s said that when Sekhmet rained wrath down upon humanity, the only way to stop her from destroying us was by pouring out red-dyed beer to trick her into thinking it was blood. She drank it and became intoxicated which stopped her. This was an act completed by Ra when he realized he had to stop her.

Sekhmet is also known to bring plague, or call on epidemics, yet has the power of giving life and healing to those she feels are worthy. The “Seven Arrows of Sekhmet” were feared by the Egyptian people and certain rituals were performed and offerings given to appease this terrifying goddess. Sekhmet is the hot breeze of the desert and a solar deity. 

But despite the monstrously violent aspects of Sekhmet, she was also worshiped as a goddess of healing. This stems from her ability to invoke and manipulate plagues and diseases.

Not only can she brandish them as a weapon or a scourge of humanity, but she can also cure them and restore life to the afflicted. As such, Sekhmet, goddess of war and healing, is a patron of doctors or physicians. Her priests were known for being physicians: they were originally established to worship and honor Sekhmet to appease her. And to keep her wrath at bay. Eventually, they would play a crucial role in medicine by reciting spells and prayers to Sekhmet while also applying herbal remedies to those in need of healing. Amulets were worn in the shape of Sekhmet to appease her and to invoke her protection and healing. Her priests performed a rite known as “appeasing Sekhmet” to ward off pestilence and plague.

Sekhmet and Duality

She evokes a distinct sense of duality; of violence tempered by compassion. Like a lioness, she is a guardian and is fiercely protective of those in her charge. But paradoxically, she also wields a capacity for inestimable violence and terror.

In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, there are multiple mentions of Sekhmet as both a constructive and destructive force. But even in her destructive facet, she is, above anything, the keeper of cosmic balance or Ma’at. However, sometimes, she tried too hard to keep the balance between life and death, resorting to extreme practices to control the population. Plagues in ancient Egypt were often called “messengers” or “slaughterers” of Sekhmet, for they were supposed to follow her commands.

Sekhmet and the divine feminine

As women, we are told that showing our anger is not becoming, it is not lady-like, but anger, as every other emotion, is valid. Sekhmet represents the sacred rage that is ours, our true strength as women. Our anger is sacred and holy; it is the anger to change worlds — think Joan of Arc, Rosa Parks. Anger forces us to action. Use her to help you connect to your true divine feminine power and your rage to protect those who need protecting as a role of a fierce protective feminine energy. 

Sekhmet as symbol of the state

Sekhmet is also known as a goddess of sovereignty. One of her roles was protector of the pharaohs, even beyond death — once a pharaoh passed away, Sekhmet would bring them to the afterlife. 

Sekhmet as a dark goddess

She is the Goddess of the Sun, Lady of the Flame and Guardian of the gateway of rebirth. She is fierce but loving, protecting her own and those loyal to her, strong and powerful and will see hidden truths. Warrior, hunter and a healer.

Sekhmet will encourage you to live and follow your sacred path of inner integrity, help you to speak your truth and be honest and will empower you. She will help you with self healing and healing for others and will protect you.

A dark Goddess, she will help you with shadow work and to look deep within.

What does Sekhmet look like?

In Egyptian art, she was depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness, and sometimes her skin would be painted green just as Osiris was. She carried an ankh sign on her left hand and a long-stemmed lotus flower on her right hand. Her head was crowned by a large solar disk, relating her to the sun god Ra, and an uraeus, the serpent associated with Egyptian kingship.

Often she was seated on a throne and wears a long red dress. This is why she is sometimes referred to as the Mistress of Scarlet or Mistress of Red Linen. The red dress is a nod to her wrathful nature and fiery breath. Sometimes she has symbols painted over her nipples, which are assumed to be illustrations of lioness fur OR a representation of stars in the Leo constellation. With which she is inherently linked.

There were some six hundred statues of Sekhmet erected at the glorious temple of Karnak, commissioned by Pharaoh Amenhotep III.

Her name

Sekhmet’s name comes from the adjective sekhem, meaning “powerful” or “mighty”, while the ending –t is a suffix for female names. Of her many epithets, all were equally terrifying. She is sometimes referred to in Egyptian texts as “She Before Whom Evil Trembles”, the “Mistress of Dread”, “The Mauler”, or the “Lady of Slaughter”.

History of her worship

Sekhmet’s origins are unclear, but she seems to have been born in the Delta area, where lions were rarely seen and were thus regarded as mysterious and magical beasts. According to the Memphite Theology, an important text engraved in the famous Shabako Stone, the lioness Sekhmet was the wife of Ptah, patron god of artisans, and the mother of lotus god Nefertum. She was also the firstborn of the sun god Ra.

Sekhmet was worshipped throughout Egypt, particularly whenever a wadi opened out in the desert edges. This is the type of terrain that lions are often found. Many of them having come from the desert in order to drink and prey upon cattle in the area. Some believe that the worship of Sekhmet was possibly introduced into Egypt from Sudan because lions are more plentiful in that region. Sekhmet’s main cult center was located in Memphis, and was part of the Divine Triad of Ptah, Sekhmet, and Nefertum (fig. 4). Sekhmet, as the wife of Ptah, the ‘Creator’, and their son Nefertum is also closely associated with healers and healing. Some scholars believe that Sekhmet’s worship might pre-date Ptah by at least several hundred years, but because of the shift in power from Memphis to Thebes during the New Kingdom (1550–1069 BC) the Theban Triad made up of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu resulted in Sekhmet’s attributes being absorbed into that of the goddess Mut.

She was also revered as the “Mistress of Asheru” in the Mut Temple, at Karnak, and her cult was strong in the regions of Luxor, Memphis, Letopolis, and all the Delta. At some of the temples there, she was offered the blood of recently sacrificed animals, in order to placate her rage. If her anger was contained, it gave her worshippers control over their enemies and the vigor and strength to overcome weakness and illness.

Priests would perform rituals before a different statue of this Egyptian goddess every day, to appease her considerable anger. This is the reason why so many different images of Sekhmet have survived to our days. In Amenhotep III’s temple there have been found as many as 700 statues of Sekhmet. In Leontopolis (the city of the lion, in Greek) some sources inform that there were tamed lions and lionesses kept captive as living images of Sekhmet.

Sekhmet was known to enjoy the taste of blood. Every year, on the feast of Hathor and Sekhmet, Egyptians commemorated the saving of mankind by drinking copious amounts of beer stained with pomegranate juice. The surviving records of such feasts talked about how they did so to worship “the Mistress and Lady of the Tomb, the Gracious One, Destroyer of Rebellion, Powerful with Enchantments”. During the celebrations, a statue of Sekhmet was dressed in red facing west, while one of Bastet was dressed in green and facing east. Bastet was considered to be Sekhmet’s counterpart or twin, and during the festival, they embodied duality, which was an important concept in Egyptian mythology. Sekhmet represented Upper Egypt, while Bastet stood for Lower Egypt. Bastet was the tame, good goddess, while Sekhmet was the Bloodthirsty, the chaotic and dangerous deity of war and love.

Such a bad reputation was awarded to this Egyptian goddess due to a myth in which she had threatened to wipe out humanity which we talked about earlier. The only thing that prevented her from ending humanity was getting drunk on beer which had been dyed red as blood. Thus, during her annual festival, held at the beginning of the year, Egyptians danced, played music, and intoxicated themselves in an attempt to soothe the wrath of the goddess. This ritual had another meaning, too, and that is to prevent the excessive flooding of the Nile, which ran blood-red every year carrying upstream silt.

Her Mythology 

In Egyptian mythology, there is a long and interesting tale in which the story of Sekhmet is told. It is known as The Destruction of Mankind. This story is written on a funerary papyrus from the New Kingdom (1539-1292 BCE), and the tale it tells is extraordinary. At the beginning of time, the story goes, when gods lived among men, a rebellion aimed to overthrow Ra, king of the gods. Despite being a god, Ra had become old, and grew weaker every day, until humans decided he was not fit for ruling over them. Before this insurrection, Ra had been ready to give up the throne and return to the Nun, the primordial ocean. But now he was angry at humankind, and took one of his eyes which transformed into Sekhmet. He then ordered the eye to strike the seditious men with a heat close to the sun’s: “The desert was dyed red with the human blood, while the Eye was pursuing traitors and killing them one by one. It didn’t stop until the sands were covered with bodies. Then, temporarily satiated, Sekhmet returned triumphantly to his Father”.

Sekhmet continued to kill every man and woman in sight for the next few days, but at one point, Ra considered that it had been enough punishment, and decided to spare the rest of humanity. The problem now resided in how to stop Sekhmet from fulfilling her task. Ra ordered his Eye / Sekhmet to stop the killing to no avail for “his Eye had tasted human flesh and she liked it. She decided to kill again”. The only way to stop Sekhmet from killing was to get her drunk with beer, her favorite drink. Ra brought a red pigment from the desert and ground it into a fine powder, which he mixed with the beer. He then made seven thousand red-beer jars and poured them into the Nile. When Sekhmet saw the red liquid, she thought it was blood, so she drank it eagerly until she was too drunk and fell asleep. When the Egyptian goddess finally woke up, she had forgotten about her purpose of killing every single human being, and felt satiated. She then returned to her father, Ra, who welcomed her back and rewarded her for her services. 

In one variant it is said that she drank until She  fell asleep and She became Hathor again when she woke up. 

In some versions of this tale, she becomes angry again when she finds out she was deceived, and she leaves Egypt until Toth persuades her to come back.

In yet another variant on this story, when Sekhmet awoke from her stupor, the first creature she laid eyes on was the god Ptah. She fell instantly in love with him. Because of this, she is usually portrayed as the bride of Ptah, god of architects and craftsmen, as well as mother to Maahes and Nefertem. The union between Sekhmet and Ptah epitomizes harmony: on the one hand, we have Sekhmet the destroyer, and on the other, we have Ptah the creator. As such, the marriage of these two deities symbolizes the balance and order of the universe.

When it comes to statuary, this is even clearer when we consider the fact that Sekhmet, goddess of war and healing, with her red robes was often depicted facing westward, while Ptah was clad in green and facing the east.

They are positioned as opposites, and yet together their duality is neutralized. They form a complete whole.

Why Work With Sekhmet?

Sekhmet is often sought out by those who are facing challenges, obstacles, or a need for protection. She is known to bring strength, courage, and the ability to overcome obstacles. Sekhmet is also associated with healing and renewal, making her a popular deity for those seeking to heal from physical or emotional wounds.

Correspondences

First, what is a correspondence? A correspondence is an item or symbol that is meant to connect you to a specific energy thru it’s representation. It is seen also as an item to respect, honor, and venerate that energy as well whether it be a deity, an archetype energy , or the zodiac energy the moon is currently in like I will list below for you to use.

• planet-sun
• Animal-lioness
• Element- Fire
• Sex- Feminine 
• Symbol- Lioness, Lions, Sun, Sun Disk, Ankh, Egyptian Spitting Cobra, Septer formed from Papyrus (symbolizing the union of Heaven and Earth), Flames, Fire, Blood, Desert.
• colors- Red, yellow, orange, gold
• Themes- destruction, chaos, war, plagues, fire, royalty, and the afterlife
• Motto- “I am pure strength. I honor my anger by giving voice to it”
• Chakra-Sacral and solar plexus 
• Herbs-Bay, basil, catnip, bloodroot, Patchouli, Frankincense, Mrryh, Amber, Pomegranate, Copal, Dragons Blood, Red Sandalwood.
• Stones/ crystals- Red spessartine, Carnelian, Garnet, Red agate, Ruby, citrine,Cinnabar, tiger’s eye, fire agate, Zincite, orange calcite, bloodstone, amber

How to work with Sekhmet

Everyone’s relationship with deities is different and we all work with and believe in them differently. You might believe in multiple gods and goddesses and work with them each as though they are close, personal friends. Or maybe you believe the old gods are reflections of Universal energy and simply archetype energies that you can learn a lesson from.. However you incorporate deiteis in your practice is up to you. But here are our ideas to get you started:

To work with Sekhmet, it’s important to approach her with respect and reverence. She is known to be a fierce and powerful goddess, and may not always be easy to work with. 

Study Sekhmet

As with every deity I have ever written about or taught about, The first way to get to know a deity, specifically a goddess like Sekhmet, is to dive into their history and qualities. Begin by studying the myths, verses, and incantations featuring this fierce goddess. Read about her connection with Ra, syncretization with goddesses Mut and Hathor, and how she might be the predecessor of the cat goddess Bastet. Then read about the culture from which she arose. Then study some more. Keep a section in your journal and/or book of shadows dedicated to Sekhmet.

Dedicate Altar Space

Set aside some space in honor of Sekhmet. This can be an elaborate large altar or as simple as a small shelf or corner of a counter. Place a representation of Sekhmet there, be sure to cleanse the space before you invite her in. Include her color red, her symbols, and representations of lions and the sun and any of her other correspondences you can use to connect to her. This will be a space that reminds you to connect with her and her energy. To bring that ferocity and self-protectiveness to your daily life. To learn more about altar and how to work with them in your practice you can read about it here in my study guide on my previous class taught on the topic; All About Altars study guide.docx

Work with her as part of the triple goddess archetype

Many pagans and witches who work with the divine feminine work with that energy in the essence of the triple goddess. You can do this with Sekhmet as well. She is commonly known as being part of the Egyptian triple goddess with Hathor, Bast, and Sekhmet. Hathor is seen as the mother aspect, Bast the maiden, and Sekhmet the crone aspect. To learn more about working with the triple goddess archetype you can read my previous study guide here; Triple Goddess Study Guide.docx

Offerings

Everyone likes receiving presents. Sekhmet is no different especially since this was so central to her worship and mythology.  Give her beer, pomegranate juice, representations of arrows, gold, and incense like frankincense, myrrh, and kyphi.  You don’t have to give her offerings every day, but when you feel it is appropriate. You can place these offerings at your altar space dedicated to her or when performing any work to connect to her like meditation, prayer, and visualization. 

The best offerings for Sekhmet include:

• Alcohol, especially red alcohol.
• Blood, or substitutes like bloodroot soaked in wine.
• Images of cats or lions.
• Incense.
• Fire, from bonfires to candles.
• Milk.
• Spicy foods.
• Red gemstones.
• Dragon’s blood resin.

Stand Up For Yourself

Women are beginning to realize they are their own people, and they have immense power in this world. They are beginning to claim their power and take it back.. And they’re beginning to stand up for themselves. If you find yourself in a situation or a relationship in which you’ve allowed yourself to be used or abused, Sekhmet is in your life to teach you to stand up for yourself. Invoke her power and energy to aid you in speaking your truth, being your own person, and standing in the sunlight of your own soul and personal power.

Protection Rituals

If you’re in need of extra protection at home or at work, or anywhere for that matter, call on Sekhmet to guide and shield you. While performing your protection rituals at home, such as cleansing, shielding, and warding, invoke Sekhmet’s energy to set up a barrier of fire around your home. She will only allow those with good intent to cross it. Wear an amulet dedicated to Sekhmet while traveling or leaving the home to keep her protective shield around you at all times. To learn more about protection you can read about it here in my previous study guide; All about protection study guide.docx

And you can watch the two classes here; Magick and Witchcraft Basics: Protection and Warding Part 1 & Magick And Witchcraft Basics: Protection and Warding Part 2

Sunbathing

Obviously Sekhmet is a solar goddess and therefore she enjoys warmth, sunlight, and hot climates. So why not get out in the sun and do a little sunbathing like a cat? It feels great, gives you energy, and allows you to soak up the magical energy the sun has to offer us humans as the vital energy of our existence. 

Connect with an Ankh/Sun Disk

Find an Ankh or a sundisk, you can even have a piece of paper with the symbol on it in your hands. Close your hands around the symbol or place on your heart space. Close your eyes and ask Sekhmet to connect to you through the symbol.

Perform solar magic

Like we just talked about, Sekhmet is a solar goddess so a very obvious way to connect to and work with her would be performing and working with any kind of solar magic. There are so many different ways to work with solar magic and the sun from meditating under it’s bright rays, making sun water, drawing down the sun and more. To learn all about solar magic and connecting to the sun and how to do so you can read about it here in my previous blogpost; https://modgepodgemystic.com/solar-magic-a-guide-to-harness-the-bright-vibrant-and-confident-magical-energy-of-the-sun/ 

Alternative Healing

Sekhmet was once a mother goddess of war and healing in ancient times. You can tap into her healing vibrations by learning a mode of alternative medicine. Consider taking a class or reading a book on herbalism, DNA activation, past life regressions, or energy healing modalities like Reiki.

Meditation, visualization and Dream work

One of the best ways to channel divine energy and tap into goddesses like Sekhmet is through meditation, visualization and dreaming.  These practices allow you to open up and receive/ connect to divine energy in a very intuitive, clear, and transformative way.  You will find a plethora of guided meditations on YouTube that will lead you to your spirit guide or god/goddess.. Try those if you have a hard time meditating on your own. You can even use listen to the guided meditation in my class below! In addition, ask Sekhmet to visit you in your dreams and teach you lessons that you currently need to learn. Then record every encounter with her in your journal, book of shadows, or grimoire. 

Meditation to connect with Sekhmet

Find a quiet spot, put on some incense or an oil diffuser, light a candle and close your eyes.  Take three deep breaths and relax. Hold your intention in connecting to Sekhmet. You could say this in your head three times, ‘My intention is to connect with Sekhmet.’

Imagine you are in a desert. Sand is all around you, the sun is high in the sky and its hot. In the distance you see pyramids. You start to make your way towards them as there is nothing else around. Although its a tiresome and long journey you know its worth it.

You finally get to the pyramids. There is one large one in the middle and two either side. You walk up the steps of the middle pyramid and enter it. Inside is quiet, painted with wonderful pictures and symbols. There is a door in front of you and you decide to walk up to it. It slides open and you hear a voice say ‘Enter’. So you enter and see a beautiful woman on a throne in front of you. ‘Who are you?’ the woman says. You answer her and state you are here to connect with Sekhmet. She nods for you to approach her and tells you she is Sekhmet. That is all she says and you wait in silence as you do not want to force anything. She then stands and starts to talk to you. What does she say?

Take this time to connect with her, listen to what she has to say and ask questions. When you have finished connecting and she has gone and ready to go yourself, take three deep breaths and come back to the room. Write down your experience. What did she say to you? Did you ask questions? Were they answered? What else happened?

Study the Lioness

Since Sekhmet is a lioness goddess one way to connect to her would be to study the lioness. If you’ve never watched the lioness move in the wild, now’s your time to. Watch videos on YouTube, documentaries on the TV, and read books about how lionesses hunt to feed their pride and defend their families. This is how the lioness moves, and this is how Sekhmet moves.

Move your body and be active

Sekhmet is a very vital, active goddess, and she appreciates action. You can take a martial arts class and dedicate it to her, or join a group to combat injustice.

Stand up for others

Sekhmet stands against those who don’t believe in equity, harmony, and reciprocity, so you can align yourself with her by helping to bring more justice and balance to the world.

Live according to the principles of Ma’at

In the legend of her enacting Ra’s vengeance, she destroyed people who didn’t live according to the principles of Ma’at. One of the best ways to work with Sekhmet is to live according to these ideas.

The seven principles of Ma’at are:

Truth, the ability to see between fact and fiction.

Justice, the state of equity between all things.

Harmony, the state of alignment and balance between all things.

Balance, both within an individual and with the world outside.

Order, the state of clarity and a lack of excess.

Reciprocity, the acknowledgement that what goes around will come around.

Propriety, performing correct actions to uphold truth, justice, harmony, balance, order, and reciprocity.

Shadow work

Just like with every other deity I have ever written or taught about shadow work is a phenomenal way to connect to and work with the goddess Sekhmet. With her being considered a dark goddess due to her destructive nature she has the ability to bring us into a very liminal space that is also steeped in duality with her connection as a healing goddess as well. When doing shadow work with her she is going to be able to shed some light with her burning fire on topics more focused on healing, past wounds, standing in your own personal power, justice, retribution, anger, and destroying barriers, bridges and things that no longer serve your highest good. To learn more about shadow work and how to use it in your life and magical practices you can watch my previously taught class on the topic here;

An Invocation of Sekhmet

“The Powerful, powerful in her existence, She that impurity fears. The one who’s face is beautiful, remarkable of image, who thrusts back sadness. The solar feminine disc, radiant, rejuvenating, illuminating the country. The Mistress of the sky, appearing in her sanctuary. Sekhmet, powerful against the enemies, inspiring terror in the rebels. The Mistress of Iunet, entering into her chapel, whirling and dancing in her temple.”

(translated into English by Kerry Wisner, 1999-2000, from the French text “Dendera – I Traduction” by S. Cauville)

A Prayer to Sekhmet

Behold, I smell the earth before the mighty one. Behold how I have kept the vigil in the shrine of Sekhmet. Behold, I am the child, the child of Sekhmet, the lady of the east. I am with her. I am one with her. I am Sekhmet and the flames of all those who praise her. I am the hand of the powerful goddess, wearer of the solar disc. I am the twice beautiful one, more splendid than yesterday. I am she who goes forth with Ra. I am she. My hair is the hair of Sekhmet, the golden one. My eyes are the eyes of the lioness. My ears are the ears of the goddess. My nose is the nose of she who can sniff out all evil. My  teeth are the fangs, which can devour the darkness My neck is the neck of the divine goddess. My hands are the hands with long claws. My forearms are the forearms of the mighty one. My backbone is golden and it shines with splendourMy  chest is the chest of the mighty one of terror. My Belly and back are the belly and back of Sekhmet. My buttocks are strong, as the goddess . My hips and legs are the hips and legs of the goddess My feet are the clawed feet of the lion goddess. There is no part of me that is not of the goddess. I am Sekhmet who cometh forth in the dawn. I am the power of Ra by day. I shall not be dragged back by my arms and none shall lay violent hands upon me, lest I destroy them utterly. Nether man nor god shall hurt me, nor shall the living, Nor shall the holy dead detain me. Nor shall the demons destroy me in battle, for I am Sekhmet And I shall eat off their faces. I am she who cometh forth. I am yesterday and I am the seer of millions of years. I am the power of the divine judge. I dwell in the east. I am the lady of eternity, the unveiled one. My name is created to defy all evil. I am the flame that shineth in the sanctuary. I am Sekhmet.

Prayer of Protection

Lady of the Burning Sands, Sekhmet, Mistress of Terror! May no enemy find me, May no harm approach me, Your sacred fire surrounds me, No evil can withstand Your Eye.

Prayer To Overcome Adversity

“O Sekhmet, Source of Strength and Mercy, I am beset by sorrow and many troubles; wounded by injustice and the offensive wrongdoing of others. Grant me the strength to meet adversity with quiet courage and unshaken will. O Sekhmet, Overcomer of All Enemies, Forgive my weakness and renew my hope. Place your protective mantle around me, help me remain steadfast and resolute in front of my enemies. Shield and defend me and my loved ones from the ravages of fear and anxiety. O Sekhmet, Who Rouseth the People Grant me the fortitude to show forbearance to those who would sin against me. May I allow no trial, however severe, to embitter my soul and destroy my trust. May my heart not despair of human good. O Sekhmet, I praise and honor Thee with gratitude for your help.

Sekhmet’s Message

I am the Sun. Powerful and bright. Full of energy and life. I am also the darkness and the mystery. I will protect you, help you to know your inner wisdom and find your true self. I will help you look at your shadow to help heal your issues and to face your fears. When you are ready, call to me, I will be waiting.

Sekhmet’s Message

Sekhmet ~ Be Strong: “You are stronger than you think you are, and your strength assures a happy outcome.”

 “See yourself as strong and victorious. Do not complain about anything. Do not blame anyone or any condition. You are the embodiment of strength, not victim hood. As you rise above the old tendencies and see yourself in the new light of beautiful feminine strength, your life will automatically shift in miraculous ways. You will attract new opportunities, forms of abundance, and relationships to help you manifest your highest potential. Being strong means seeing yourself in the most favorable light you can imagine. Be real, allow yourself to feel genuine emotions, but most of all, be strong.”

How to Know She’s Calling You

What if Sekhmet was calling you to her? Here are some of the signs that Sekhmet is calling you:

• Lions and lionesses start showing up everywhere: TV, radio, books, etc.
• You hear the name Sekhmet over and over in random places and conversations
• You are drawn to lions and large cats
• Your occupation is in the medical field or alternative healing
• Your zodiac sign is Leo OR is another fire sign like Sagittarius or Aries
• You’re drawn to ancient Egypt and the Egyptian pantheon
• You descend from the ancient Egyptians
• Your phase in life calls for ferocity, standing up for yourself, or even justifiable wrath or revenge
• The desert seems to call to you
• You feel more aligned with the sun than the moon
• You feel strong pulls to fight for social justice issues
• You start seeing and hearing things about lions all the time
• An encounter with a large cat (or even a lion) may be another sign that she’s trying to get your attention.
• If you feel a powerful, protective, or even intimidating presence around you, that may be Sekhmet.
• The sudden urge to take up a martial art or otherwise improve your offensive and defensive skills can be another sign of Sekhmet’s attention.

How Sekhmet will help you

Sekhmet will help you look deep within and give you the courage to look at your shadows. She will help and guide you through this healing process and give you strength and empowerment. She will help you speak your truth and empower you to be who you are meant to be and not shy away from the world. Helping you to become whole again, happy and complete. Call on her when you need courage and strength. When you wish to do shadow work. Call on her to help with healing yourself and others. Call on her for protection.

I will leave you with this poem about the power and identity of anger and the fierce protection of the burning flames that is Sekhmet. Just remember if you choose to work with Sekhmet she is fierce, has high standards, roars with protection, and will burn down anything that she sees as injustice and not serving the greatest good of all man. She is a fierce deity who will protect those who are part of her pride and bring about the most transformative healing with the cleansing power of flames. 

“I burn and fume

and shoot daggers from my eyes

I erupt and roar

(though you’ve not pulled my tail)

my edge are sharp

and I cut deep

my energy is strong and fierce

and my displeasure

needs to be expressed

Though sometimes mild

I can be very intense

Once incited

I am difficult to put out

I am always appropriate

always needed

Don’t try to get rid of me

I need to be acknowledged and heard. 

I am anger”